It is certainly high time that the security situation of Balochistan be known to the entire nation for what it really is. Things that had been visualised as black and white are nothing but as the information gap regarding the province is being filled by the enhanced media focus it is finally receiving. One thing is for sure that the international interference has been condemned by everyone whether Baloch or otherwise thus exemplifying the fact that no matter how grave, the situation of Balochistan needs to be corrected by none other than the Baloch people themselves with the obvious support and blessing of the Centre.
The first step of accepting that the province has been facing neglect and that the rights of the people therein are being grossly violated, which automatically leads to the next phase where remedies should be sought for reversing the protracted grievances. One thing however that is revealed by the failure of the Aghaz-e-Haqooq-e-Balochistan package announced by the government, is that any step taken by the Centre directed towards the deprivation factor of the people of Balochistan would appear as what it is, that is, as hollow attempts to appear supremely generous.
What the province requires is to be taken for what it really stands for – one of the richest and strategically significant stretches of land that we have been blessed with. So, to treat Balochistan as one would treat the rest of the less privileged areas does not bode well for the government. That there are regions in the Punjab that are worse hit by the Centre’s indifference is something one believes only after seeing the pathetic state of the marginalised inhabitants. But there is no danger of an insurgency there as the people have no mineral resources to use as a weapon against the government and neither can they boast of foreign interest in their state of affairs.
All the woes of Balochistan, however, cannot be attributed to the Centre alone. The local elite are equally responsible for the vulgar dance being practiced in the province. That development of any kind has been denounced by the local tribal chiefs and thus compelling people to resist every such effort that has helped build and reinforce a negative perception of the non-Baloch people. This resentment and bitterness oozes out as violence and hatred and has damaged the society at large to aid the domination of a selected few.
This calls for the need for togetherness where the people need to be taken onboard by trusting them to be able to handle their affairs after empowering and equipping them. To allow them to select their own representative and make the provincial setup more dynamic so that it can address all provincial issues appropriately.
